PEANUTS: The Next ChapterEpisode 26: The Play-Thanksgiving Redux
by HPDrummerman
Summary: As Thanksgiving rolls around, Charlie Brown, Frieda, Sally, and Michael have quite a bit to be thankful for. The PEANUTS gang all go over to the Browns home, this time with an invite, to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that will be sure to placate Peppermint Patty, thankfully. (Special guest Claudia by LivingOnLaughs)
1. Chapter 1

Episode 26: The Play-Thanksgiving Redux

**CHAPTER 1: CHARLIE BROWN'S IDEA**

It was the week of Thanksgiving and everyone was at their wits end. Schroeder was still stressing out about the show coming up, Linus was still learning to live without his blanket, and Peppermint Patty was still down in the dumps over the passing of Penelope Hawkins, a Sparkyville resident who was an actress on the show "Sandra on the Side". No one was feeling really thankful at that moment. On the flipside, Charlie Brown's life was going pretty smooth, for once. He and Frieda were stronger than ever, Sally was no longer bugging him to do her homework for her due to Linus's tutoring, and no one picked on him as much as they used to, outside of the occasional "blockhead" from Lucy.

But Charlie Brown was worried about his friends and how they were feeling. Schroeder was more or less okay; he just needed a break from the planning of the show and Thanksgiving would give him that break. Linus and Patty were a different story. While the most severe withdrawal symptoms were behind him, Linus was still feeling the loss of his blanket, but he was determined to try to live without it, even if it killed him, he would say. Charlie Brown figured Linus would be fine, as would Schroeder. But Peppermint Patty was a different story. According to Franco and Marcie, she hadn't completely come out of her funk. Her grades were starting to head back towards D-Minus territory again, and it was like she stopped caring after Penelope's death. And everyone was concerned about her well-being. Her father even considered getting her some counseling.

So the Monday before Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown was at home. Frieda was there with him. She could see that he had a lot on his mind.

"A penny for your thoughts, sweetie?" she said, a little concerned.

"Oh, I was thinking about our friends and their issues," said Charlie Brown. "I may not be able to fix their problems, but I want to do something, anything to at least get their minds off of them, at least for a moment."

"That's sweet of you, Charlie Brown," said Frieda. "But what would you do to make that happen?"

"Well I don't know if you remember that time Patty invited herself, Marcie, and Franklin over to my house for Thanksgiving," said Charlie Brown, remembering the fiasco that was. "Sally and I were supposed to go to our grandmother's house that day, but Patty without warning invited herself and her friends over here. So Linus, Snoopy, and I made our own 'dinner' with popcorn, pretzels, and toast, because, let's face it, I'm not that much of a cook."

"I actually remember Linus telling me about that day," Frieda recalled. "He said Patty made a fuss over the dinner, hurting your feelings in the process, until Marcie straightened her out."

"Yeah, I still hate thinking about that day, even though Patty did apologize to me later. Anyway, I talked to my parents and asked about inviting all of my friends over for Thanksgiving. You would be there, of course, as would Michael, Sally's boyfriend. But I thought about doing something nice for our friends and getting their minds off of their troubles, at least for that day. I just need to invite them all. And mom has the turkeys and side dishes ready to cook. We will need help with the preparations, though."

"Baby, you know I'm on board. You start calling everyone, and I'll make a list of those who can make it." And Charlie Brown and Frieda went to work immediately on the planning.

Charlie Brown first called the Van Pelt house, because they were the closest to the Browns. Lucy answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Lucy, it's Charlie Brown."

"Oh, hey, Charlie Brown," Lucy greeted. "What's up?"

"How would you, Linus, and Rerun like to come over to our house for Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday?" asked Charlie Brown.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind," said Lucy. "I'll let you tell Linus. Hey Linus! Charlie Brown's on the phone. He wanted to ask you something." And she handed the phone to Linus.

"Hi, Charlie Brown," greeted Linus. "What did you want to ask me?"

"I already asked it to Lucy, but I was wondering if you guys want to come over for Thanksgiving with my family. Maybe do something for you since you lost your blanket. I'm also inviting the rest of the gang, as well."

"You don't have to ask me twice, Charlie Brown. I'll be over Thursday!"

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow and go over the plans. I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"Okay, see you later, Charlie Brown." And Linus hung up the phone. Charlie Brown continued to call his friends. Frieda added the Van Pelts and anyone else who could make it. Even Peppermint Patty accepted her invite from Charlie Brown, but also with the condition that it would in fact be a regular Thanksgiving dinner and not like last time.

**NEXT CHAPTER: ONE MORE TIME FROM THE TOP!**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: LAST-MINUTE GO-THROUGHS**

It was Tuesday after school, and Schroeder wanted to run through the show one more time before the Thanksgiving break. All of the acts were there and the pit orchestra was running through the setlist. Lucy made sure everyone was where they needed to be when the show would happen in a couple of weeks. As the co-director, she made sure folks stayed in line, while Schroeder went through directing the acts on their performances.

First, Sally would do her poem, then Alan would do his magic act. The singer, Mariah, sang her song, then Violet and Shermy did their dance number, and finally, Frieda sang her number. Also Snoopy and his brothers along with Dolores rehearsed their warming-up portion. The beagles also had the task of pulling out announcement cards with the next act on them. Charlie Brown, as stage manager, would direct the kids on when they went on next and when to go.

As they did a rehearsal of the show, Schroeder seemed satisfied with the results. He called it a night a little early and he and the stage crew cleaned the stage and got things ready for the show. As Charlie Brown was putting on his jacket, his cell phone rang. He went to answer it.

"Hello?" he answered. "Trevor?" When he said his cousin's name, everyone halted what they were doing. Charlie Brown had been trying to get his famous cousin to join the show as a special guest since the beginning.

"What's going on with you, Trev? You can?! Great! I'll let them know! See you in a week!" And Charlie Brown hung up his phone.

"What is it, hun?" asked Frieda.

"I got great news everyone!" Charlie Brown announced. "My cousin, Trevor B. will be here for the show and he will perform as the special guest! He has some time off from the road during the holidays and he will be in town to do our show!" Everyone cheered.

"That's great, Charlie Brown!" said a happy Schroeder. "Now the show is truly complete!"

"You know what that means, guys?" Charlie Brown said to Snoopy, Andy, and Olaf. "You will get to see your brother Spike for a while." The three beagles cheered as well. Woodstock, who was with them, also joined in on the celebration.

Across town, Peppermint Patty and Franco were walking around the neighborhood enjoying the late-autumn evening. Patty was feeling marginally better after the passing of Penelope Hawkins. Plus with Charlie Brown's invite to his house on Thanksgiving, she was starting to feel like her old self again.

"I know I was down for a while, Franco," she began, "but I'm starting to feel better. It has taken a while, and I will still hurt a little from it. I know I didn't really know her that long, but I did, through her TV show. It's like we had raised that money to get her and her parents back on track, and her father getting to work for Chuck's dad, only for her to succumb to cancer. It was like she was robbed of having a second chance."

"I get it, Patricia," said Franco.

"I know you do, babe," said Patty. "It was like when Lucille's friend, Margaux, the Serpent Sister who got killed that night in the salvage yard, you remember how distraught she was when that happened? That's kind of how I felt when Penelope died. And from what Lucille and the other Serpent Sisters told me they are still grieving over her passing now, though it has gotten easier day by day. I guess I'll have to take it one day at a time, myself."

"That's all we can do, fraulein," Franco replied, as he hugged his girlfriend. And the two of them continued to walk around before heading back to Franco's place.

**NEXT CHAPTER: SETTING THINGS UP FOR DINNER**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: PRE-DINNER PREPARATIONS**

Thanksgiving had arrived and Frieda, Eudora, and Sally was helping Mrs. Brown with preparing the dinner, while Charlie Brown, Linus, Michael, Snoopy, and Woodstock were getting the outdoor furniture ready and placed. Woodstock, in particular, grabbed some of his bird friends to help.

_Little birdie, why do you fly upside-down?_

_It's amazing at the way you get around_

_Little birdie, why you worry like you do?_

_Don't you worry, you just do what you can do_

At that moment, Snoopy came in to help them out, as they were trying to open a table. Snoopy would try to open it.

_Little birdie, things just fascinate you so_

_And your friend there likes to show you what he knows_

_Little birdie, he don't mind the way he should_

_He needs watching, that's when you know that he'll be good_

As the boys were carrying out more chairs, Snoopy would do battle with a familiar lounge chair that he tangled with before.

_Little birdie, can't your friend do nothin' right?_

_It seems now all he wants to do is fight_

_Little birdie, look at what he's trying to do_

_It's so easy, yet he don't know what to do_

Needless to say, Snoopy lost.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, the girls were helping out with the cooking. Frieda was making the salad, Eudora was helping with making the pies. The pies were pumpkin, sweet potato, blueberry, boysenberry, cherry, apple, lemon meringue, and even chocolate pudding, complete with whipped cream for most of them. Sally was helping her mother with preparing the turkeys. Any other time she would complain about doing work like that, but since it was her mother she didn't mind.

Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and Linus were setting up the last of the tables. Charlie Brown called over Snoopy. He said, "Snoopy, I need you to place the table cloths on the tables if you please." And Snoopy gave his owner a salute and proceeded to do so. He called on Woodstock and the other birds to help with the table cloths. Each bird would take a corner and fly the cloths down as Snoopy and the boys tied each corner. After that was done, Charlie Brown called all of his friends and told them to come over in ten minutes as the dinner was almost done.

**NEXT CHAPTER: A TRADITIONAL THANKSGIVING AND MAKING PEACE**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: DINNER IS SERVED**

At 4:00 PM, the guests started arriving. The first to show up was Michael, Sally's boyfriend, who immediately greeted his sweetheart with a kiss. Then Lucy, Linus, Rerun, Schroeder, and Eudora all showed up together. Next was Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Franco, Hans, and their new friend Claudia Grandin. Peppermint Patty, in particular, was looking forward to this dinner, as she needed something positive after the tragic passing of Penelope. Next to show up was Franklin and Melanie, as they brought a cornucopia for the table. And finally, the Serpent Sisters Cobra and Rattler, along with Thibault, arrived. Thibault wanted to come for another reason as well.

"Hey, Charlie Brown," he said.

"Thibault, how are you?" asked Charlie Brown.

"I'm good."

"Thibault wanted to tell you something, Brown," said Rattler.

"That is?"

"I'm sorry for what happened between us when we first met," Thibault began. "You know, with me borrowing your glove and me refusing to give it back without a fight and all. I had it in my head that you thought you were better than me, when that was far from the truth. And I want you to know since I went to military school last year, I have changed and I'm no longer like that."

"Thibault," Charlie Brown began, "consider what happened that day water under the bridge. We're good. I'm just glad you're nicer now. And you are welcome to join us for Thanksgiving dinner."

"Thank you." And the two boys shook hands and then headed for the backyard. Everyone was mingling with each other. Frieda walked up to Charlie Brown and kissed him on the cheek.

"What a great turnout, sweetie," she said.

"You said it, Frieda," agreed Charlie Brown. "Patty, Ox, Violet, and Shermy couldn't make it, though. They all went to Patty's grandparents for Thanksgiving."

"Well, at least most of the gang is here," Frieda observed. "We should be getting started soon." And everyone took their seats. Snoopy also invited his brothers Andy and Olaf (Olaf especially with Ox out of town). Peppermint Patty looked over her shoulder.

"Hey Chuck," she began. "It looks like you got a couple of late arrivals." And everyone looked and saw Charlie Brown and Sally's cousin Trevor B., along with Snoopy's other brother Spike, coming towards the tables.

"Mamba, is that singing sensation Trevor B. heading this way?!" Cobra asked Lucy.

"It is, Cobra," Lucy replied. "He's Charlie Brown and Sally's cousin."

"Talk about a small world." Said Rattler.

"Hey cuz!" greeted Trevor. "We're not late, are we?"

"Not at all, Trev," said Charlie Brown. "We're just getting started. Take a seat. Spike, you can join your brothers and Woodstock seated near Snoopy's house."

And Spike joined his three brothers. They were happy to see him. "Hey Spike!" said Snoopy through his thoughts. "We're glad you're here. Now you can join our dancing act for the show."

"We're like Fred Astaire," Andy replied.

"But not like Michael Jackson," added Olaf.

"Well it looks like I joined just in time then, huh?" said Spike. Woodstock chirped happily.

At that moment everyone settled in to their seats. Linus stood up and began to speak.

"In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: 'We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice.'"

"Amen," said Peppermint Patty, smiling. Then the beagles began serving everyone the dinner they were about to eat. Snoopy carved the turkey, Spike served the mashed potatoes and gravy, Andy served the dressing and cranberry sauce, and Olaf poured the punch for everyone.

"Now THIS is a traditional Thanksgiving dinner!" Patty said with a smile. Charlie Brown breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good job, girls," he said to Frieda and Sally.

"No problem, big brother," said Sally. "None of us wanted a repeat of her tantrum from last time. She would have out-Lucy'd Lucy if we served the same thing we did before."

Nearby, Lucy said to Schroeder, "What did Sally say?"

"I don't know," said Schroeder. "Something about the dinner being perfect."

"I can see that," said Lucy. "Charlie Brown and the others outdid themselves on this." And everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving dinner and talked to one another. Charlie Brown was successful in bringing his friends together and forgetting about all of the drama for at least one day. Now all that was left was the Christmas show. With Trevor finally in town to perform for it, all the kids had felt like they were ready.

**THE END**


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